Forgetting & Dirty Daggers

Judges 3-

3:7
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not a cryer. Well, I am a selfish cryer---only cry when something devastes or affects me. I know, I'm trying to work on that. But as I read this verse, tears began to well up in my eyes. "...and forgat the LORD their God" Completely forgotten. I began to think of the times I felt "forgotten" in my life by people and how it really hurt me. Then I feel convicted thinking about the times I had forgotten others. When you forget someone it's like saying, "You're not worth my mental energy. You're not that important." It hurts especially when you're forgotten by someone you really care for. I then felt very grieved and sorry for how I make the Lord feel that way so often. Just going about my day and completely forgetting about Him, who He is, what He's done for me, His wonderful promises that I can claim, His shoulder that He wishes for me to lean on, His arms that want to embrace me when I "worry" and vent to others instead of Him. Abba, forgive me. I need You. I want to remember You. For when I become unthankful---not meditating on the goodness of You, I forget and sadly, turn aside like those children of Israel from following You.

That's a deep meditation for the day, but there's so much in these scriptures I don't want to leave out. I notice a vicisious cycle here by Israel....."God we love you"....abundance.....forget God....turn to other gods....God sends judgment..."Oh, God, please help us"....deliverance...."God we love you"....abundance....and so on. So often instead of depending on God and His "bondage" of Truth, we end up in a bondage of sin.

3:22
And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

I don't know if I have a deep thought from it, but I love the story of Ehud killing the fat king of Moab, Eglon. I love the detail that God puts into the story. The mental picture we can get from it. "The dirt came out" That's a pretty gross description. I love God's sense of story telling.